Bridging the gap between functional genomics and traditional molecular cell biology is a challenge of the next decade. Here,
we are aiming to find routines for targeted quantitation of protein silencing in response to RNAi based on complex cellular
lysates. A workflow was established adapting siRNA treatment, processing the sample, generating isobaric iTRAQ®-reagent-labeled
peptides, and analyzing the sample applying MRM-based peptide quantitation to verify protein silencing on a 4000 QTRAP LC/MS/MS
mass spectrometer. Subsequently, eight targets were analyzed, mostly with two siRNA designs. Although transcript and protein
silencing correlated, the downregulation on the protein level was less pronounced. A time-course analysis of the chaperon
HSPA9/mortalin indicated a delayed kinetic of protein versus transcript silencing. Further, the analysis of the functional
response on the example of HSD17B4, a multifunctional enzyme essential to generate precursors for cholesterol biosynthesis,
confirmed that strong silencing on the transcript level accompanied by moderate reduction of protein is sufficient to generate
a physiological significant response. Fifty percent protein silencing resulted in a 3.5-fold induction of low-density lipoprotein
and therefore cholesterol uptake in human liver cells. The established routines pave the way for the development of targeted
protein quantitation assays suitable for target and biomarker validation.
Keywords RNAi - Protein silencing - Quantitative proteomics - iTRAQ labeling - Multiple-reaction monitoring - Huh7 liver cells
A. Abdrakhmanova and R. Schlichting contributed equally to this work.